Brain chip lets locked-in man communicate with his thoughts

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Researchers at the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva, Switzerland, surgically implanted the two intracortical microelectrode arrays in the patient’s motor cortex in order to read the brain signals typically used to communicate. “This study answers a long-standing question about whether people with complete locked-in syndrome – who have lost all voluntary muscle control, including movement of the eyes or mouth – also lose the ability of their brain to generate commands for communication.” Trials of the technology were able to take place mostly at the patient’s home, where he lives with his family. “This technology, benefiting a patient and his family in their own environment, is a great example of how technological advances in the BCI field can be translated to create direct impact.” Further research into the longevity, safety and efficacy of the BCI is required before it can be used more widely, though the researchers are hopeful it can be developed to help other people with impaired ability to communicate and move. The study, titled ‘Spelling interface using intracortical signals in a completely locked-in patient enabled viaauditory neurofeedback training’, was published today in the journal Nature Communications.